Australian girl, 11, brings hand grenade to school for show-and-tell
Hand grenades seized by Colombian police are displayed at a press conference, in Cali, Valle del Cauca department.
A school in Newcastle, north of Sydney, has been evacuated after an 11-year-old student brought a hand grenade for show-and-tell.
Although the grenade — which according to Agence France-Presse resembled a World War II "pineapple" model — was thought to be inert, the Hunter Christian School was evacuated.
Police left the grenade on a teacher's desk until specialists from the New South Wales Police Bomb and Rescue Unit gave the all clear.
The Australian military had taken possession of the bomb to examine it, the Fairfax media reported.
The Newcastle Herald quoted Principal Boyd Allen as saying:
"She understood it to be a dummy hand grenade that had been deactivated, there was no firing pin, just the body of the grenade. We understand it was from a family friend and many years old. It was heavy, but I assume practice grenades would weigh that much too."
Inspector Gerrard Lawson from Newcastle City Local Area Command said it was not yet known where the girl obtained the grenade.
Hunter Christian School, 100 miles north of Sydney, takes children aged four to 18.
More from GlobalPost: Serbia: Hand grenade kills 3 at nightclub
The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.
Make a gift today to help us reach our $25,000 goal and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer.